No Pain, No Gaines by Chip Gaines

No Pain, No Gaines by Chip Gaines

Published by Thomas Nelson ISBN 9780785237914

Hardcover, $26.99, 190 pages

One the shows that put HGTV on the map is Fixer Upper starring the husband and wife team of Chip and Joanna Gaines, owners of Magnolia in Waco, Texas.  Chip handles the demolition and remodeling of a house and Joanna does the creative and design of the home. 

Chip is known as a goofy, funny, hardworking guy and he shares his philosophy of life and the things he has learned along the way in No Pain, No Gaines. Not the best student growing up, Chip found more value on hands-on, physical work. 

He was a hard worker, a go-getter, even as a child, when he sold snacks at the local public tennis courts. In college, while others were having a good time, Chip had a lawn mowing business and earning nearly $30,000 annually. Sales always interested him, and he even had a stint selling books door to door.

When it became apparent that his career as a baseball player wasn't going to happen, Chip had to pivot.  He was devastated at getting cut from the Baylor University baseball team, but meeting a guy who lost an eye in high school, and then had an aneurysm that led to brain surgery in college, woke Chip up.

Chip learned to "see the life in front of" him. He began to pay attention to life as it was happening around him, "ready to shift gears whenever necessary." 

He also discovered the importance of having a network of people around him, people who will support and cheer you on. He gives his family- parents and sister, his in-laws- an opportunity to share their insights into and anecdotes about Chip that are so enlightening.

According to Chip, one of the most important things in understanding who you are involves making a list of Nonnegotiables, "a list of qualities that are an unwavering part of who you are", your core values. When your actions don't line up with your nonnegotionables, you become unmoored.

Gaines believes in taking chances, and listening to your gut. He says you also have to be willing to fail; as successful as he and Joanna are with their media empire (a TV network, retail store, restaurant, magazine, decor line at Target, etc.), they came close to declaring bankruptcy at one point.

I'm not someone who watched Fixer Upper, but I have to say that I found much to like in No Pain, No Gaines. I'm also not someone who reads a lot of self-help or business advice books, but much of Gaines' advice and experiences he shares are interesting, useful, and thought-provoking. It's written in an easy, conversational voice, and if you are a Chip and Joanna Gaines fan, you'll get even more out of this book.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Chip Gaines' tour. The rest of his stops are here:

Print review tour:

Monday, April 5th: Bookchickdi

Wednesday, April 7th: Mammanatty’s Raves and Reviews

Thursday, April 8th: Literary Quicksand

Friday, April 9th: Running Through the Storms

Monday, April 12th: @workreadsleeprepeat

Monday, April 12th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Wednesday, April 14th: Leighellen Landskov and @mommaleighellensbooknook

Thursday, April 15th: Living My Best Book Life and @livingmybestbooklife

Friday, April 16th: @books_faith_love

Monday, April 19th: Nurse Bookie and @nurse_bookie

Tuesday, April 20th: What is That Book About

Wednesday, April 21st: @stumblingintobooks

Thursday, April 22nd: A Bookish Way of Life

Friday, April 23rd: Pacific Northwest Bookworm and @pnwbookworm

Friday 5ive- April 2, 2021

Welcome to the Friday 5ive,  a weekly blog featuring five things that caught my attention this week, and welcome to April where one day it can be 60 degrees and the next day it's 36.

1)  While exiting the TJ Maxx store in my neighborhood, I noticed a small garden area behind the store with this beautiful mosiac. I've been to that store many times, and this is the first time I've noticed it.

2)  I have this app called Citizen that notifies me when there is police or fire activity nearby. This notification popped up on Saturday. You'll be happy to know they caught the offender.

3)  My mom sent me a set of postcards from my hometown of Auburn, NY for my birthday. Each postcard has a photo of some iconic sight, and they brought back so many memories. There are historical sights, like the statue of Harriet Tubman, and things that have personal memories- Falcon Park, where we watched many a baseball game, Springside Inn, where we had our son's wedding reception, and Angelo's Pizza, the place where everyone ended up after an evening dancing the night away. What a fun gift! You can find them at auburnpcproject.com. 

4) As a huge fan of Tina Turner's (her Private Dancer album is one of my all-time favorites)I was so pleased with the new HBO documentary on her life. The archival footage they had of her early performances with Ike Turner was truly incredible, and the documentary was broken into five parts, covering her entire life. How she reinvented herself in the 1980s as a rock'n'roll queen through sheer will, hard work, talent, and finding the right manager was so impressive. I found it very telling that she does not want to be known for surviving the abuse she took at the hands of her husband Ike. She was done with that part of her life, and constantly speaking about it brings up painful memories, I wish people would let her move on from that. I'm really glad I got to see the Broadway show Tina Turner the Musical before everything shut down last year. I'm happy she finally found love with her husband of thirty years, Erwin Bach. This is must-see TV for music fans.

5) Two books were on my reading list this week. I read the second book in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation spy series, titled The Masque of the Black Tulip. The books are set in the early 1800's, with England worrying that Napoleon will try to invade. There are a series of spies, including the Pink Carnation, embedded in Paris society, sending information back to England. Young Henrietta Selwick is taking after her brother Richard, known as the Purple Gentian, acting as a courier for the Pink Carnation's information. She has a crush on her brother's best friend Miles, who will not act on his growing feelings for Henrietta out of respect for his friend. Henrietta and Miles end up working together to discover the identity of the dastardly French spy, the Black Tulip, and mayhem ensues. It's a fun, action-filled romantic romp that is a perfect read for those who enjoyed Bridgerton on Netflix. Lauren Willig is hosting a year-long readalong of the Pink Carnation books, and each month she and a different romance author host a Zoom chat about one of the books. This month, Tasha Alexander, author of the historical fiction Lady Emily series, led the discussion. It was a fun and informative evening, check out Lauren Willig's Facebook page for more information.

 I'm in the middle of Chip Gaines new book, No Pain, No Gaines. He talks about the importance of networks, the people in your life who can help you achieve your goals. He's a real people person, very curious about what makes people tick, and if you are a fan of he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, HGTV show, Fixer Upper, this is a book you will enjoy. I like it so far, and I'm not particularly a fan of their show. He has an easy conversational style, and I particularly liked that he allowed his family and Joanna's family each to share their thoughts. My full review publishes here on Monday. 

Stay safe, socially distant, wear a mask, wash your hands, and get the vaccine when it's your turn. Good times are ahead!